WWII vet dies of injuries from attack

STOCKTON - Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Allen Fairbanks, hospitalized since a burglar beat him in his bed in May, died Friday of complications of his injuries, officials and family said.

David Siders

STOCKTON - Retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Allen Fairbanks, hospitalized since a burglar beat him in his bed in May, died Friday of complications of his injuries, officials and family said.

He was 85.

Fairbanks, a Hellcat pilot who was featured in Life magazine and flew with ace Lt. Cmdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare in World War II, was found May 18 covered in blood in his room at Casa Mañana Inn, on North Sutter Street.

His jaw was broken, and he developed an infection caused by blood in his lungs, daughter Margaret Trezise said. At St. Joseph's Medical Center, where he died, Fairbanks could pucker his lips until Sunday in such a way as to suggest he'd like to kiss his daughters, Trezise said. On Monday he deteriorated, she said.

"We would call his name, and he would look at us and try to turn his head," she said. "Of course, he couldn't talk, because his jaw was wired shut."

Police have made no arrests in the case, which became a homicide investigation Friday, Officer Pete Smith said. The person or people who came through Fairbanks' first-floor window did not steal anything of value, family members said.

Fairbanks, who still drove his car each day and was healthy before the attack, was reported by Life to be one of the youngest men in the Navy to achieve his rank, his daughters said.

He escorted bombers to Tokyo and was commended for his role in other battles. He also flew beside O'Hare, for whom Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is named.

Funeral services are pending but likely will be held in July, the family said.

Contact reporter David Siders at (209) 943-8580 or dsiders@recordnet.com